The present invention relates to a motorized snow vehicle, being of the type which is used to travel on snow and which is equipped with at least one ski and a caterpillar track for movement, in such a way that the vehicle that is presented has a platform for the user to stand on, a fixed handlebar and a pair of skis with their outer side curvilinear according to a curvo-concavity with the aim of permitting tight bends to be taken with just the lateral inclination of the vehicle along with the user.
Moreover, the motorized vehicle has low weight since, due to lacking a steering shaft, it does not require the fitting of all the elements comprising it, which facilitates its driving and likewise, given that, as is logical, its size is also reduced and it has a foldable handlebar, it can be transported in the boot (trunk) of an automobile for private use (utilitarian).
The present specification describes a motorized snow vehicle, which is of special application in ski resorts, both for employees of the resort and for users of the facilities.
So, the motorized snow vehicle can be used as a working vehicle and as a pleasure vehicle, due to the fact that its agreeable driving is done by the lateral inclination of the vehicle along with the user, and by means of which a very diverse range of maneuvers are permitted to be performed.
As is known, winter sports are becoming ever more popular, such that ski resorts are acquiring larger dimensions for being able to meet the ever greater demand from users, at the same time as the range of sports and/or products is widening and become more popular.
So, not only is there an increase in skiers within the various categories of skiing, but there are other modalities such as snowboarding which has an ever growing number of adepts.
Likewise, the increase in winter sports enthusiasts and the consequent growth in ski resorts has led to the popularization of snowmobiles, both for working use by the actual employees for moving around the facilities of the ski resorts, and for pleasure use.
In this way, and focusing on snowmobiles as being the vehicles that are “closest” to the motorized vehicle that is the object of the invention, we can point out that the basic concept of the two differ from each other in their entirety since, in snowmobiles the user sits and they have a steering shaft associated with the ski of the vehicle, with the vehicle being turned by means of turning the steering shaft and, consequently, the ski associated with it, So, in turning, the longitudinal axis of the snowmobile is different from the longitudinal axis of the ski.
Moreover, the ski in a snowmobile has straight sides and, with the aim of performing the turn, its inner face has some longitudinal straight blades of the guide type running along the ski which stick into the snow since without these blades the response to turns would be excessively slow and inefficient.
In addition, if the skis of snowmobiles do not include these blades they skid and would not have any effective turn, rather like the inefficiency in steering a car driving on ice.
We can equally point out that snowmobiles have a considerable weight (around 180 to 320 kg, and with the added regular problem of becoming stuck in the snow due to their excessive weight) which makes it difficult to transport them, since it is not feasible to carry them in the boot (trunk) of an automobile for private use (utilitarian), which means that their use as a pleasure or recreational item becomes very restricted, aided by the fact that when driving them it is not possible to introduce “variants” leading to a driving with pleasure “effects”.
This is so due, among other things, to the actual weight of the snowmobiles and because the user is always in the seating position, without any possibility of inclining the snowmobile in order to achieve turns.
We can thus summarize matters by pointing out that snowmobiles have been known for many years and there are numerous patents that have been filed in relation to them.
So, among other documents we can cite the following documents: WO 87/01085-A; WO 99/43450-A; U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,232 B1; U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,338 B1; U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,648 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,959 B1.
Finally, we can cite WO 96/36045 from the same holder as the present patent application, describing a “sliding board with motor and swivelling caterpillar tread or crawler track for use on snowy terrain or similar”, in which the board presents a longitudinal open and centered space for the location of a swivelling structure with rollers which support and guide the track or tread. The motor and variator unit transmit the movement to a tractor roller which causes the track to turn.